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The Just Checking In PodcastAuthor: The Just Checking In Podcast by VENT
The Just Checking In Podcast is another step in VENTs mission to give people a voice, change the conversation around mental health and provide an outlet where everyone, but especially men and boys, can express themselves. In each pod we check in with a special guest. We have a natter and a chat about all things mental health as well as anything and everything else they're passionate about. If it helps that person with their mental health, we'll discuss it! Language: en Genres: Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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JCIP #387 - Luke Barrow
Thursday, 12 November, 2026
In episode 387 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with Luke Barrow.Luke is the Founder and CEO of a men’s mental health and suicide prevention charity called Two Pints Deep.In their words, TPD is made “for the average man, by the average man.”They state: “Being Two Pints Deep is a feeling a lot of men who struggle find themself in at times. It’s a warm, fuzzy feeling. We have a little more confidence. We want to talk more openly. It’s a safe space.”Their aim is to recreate that feeling for men when speaking about their problems, without the need for those couple of drinks to do so.All their events are free to attend, and don’t frame mental health as the primary focus of them, which encourages men to come and removes the stigma of disclosing their attendance to male friends or their female or male partners.Luke’s desire to start TPD came from his own experience of mental health challenges, when he lost his mum to cancer in July 2019. He struggled to cope with the grief for his mum, internalised shame and stigma, and didn’t want to disclose to his Dad or siblings because he felt he didn’t want to ‘burden’ them with his issues. He began drinking alcohol excessively and became addicted to gambling. In the Summer of 2020, he reached breaking point and had a breakdown.He visited his friends house, got two pints deep and disclosed his crisis. Through that, he discovered two of his other friends in his social group were also struggling. He wondered why they hadn’t felt the confidence or had the trust created in them to disclose, and from there, the spark for TPD was born.In this episode we chart Luke’s mental health journey. We discuss his move to Australia to play semi-professional football, discovering his Mum’s cancer diagnosis and having to move back to see her for the final time, and then grieve for her afterwards. We also discuss his recovery, how his Mum shapes his work with TPD and has provided a legacy for her.For TPD, we discuss how he markets his events to men and meets them where they are, where they spend their money and why that transparency is important for him, and how we change the language around certain elements of the mental health industry to make them more welcoming for men.As always, #itsokaytoventYou can follow Two Pints Deep on social media below: InstagramTikTokSupport Us:PatreonPayPalMerchandise
